Luminaires with automated and remotely controllable functionality are well known in the entertainment and architectural lighting markets. Such products are commonly used in theatres, television studios, concerts, theme parks, night clubs, and other venues. A typical product will commonly provide control over the pan and tilt functions of the luminaire allowing the operator to control the direction the luminaire is pointing and thus the position of the light beam on the stage or in the studio. Typically, this position control is done via control of the luminaire's position in two orthogonal rotational axes usually referred to as pan and tilt. Many products provide control over other parameters such as the intensity, color, focus, beam size, beam shape, and beam pattern.
Recent improvements in automated lighting luminaires have led to increasing use of ultra short arc discharge lamps with an integrated reflector. Such lamps provide guaranteed and accurate factory pre-set positioning of the lamp within the reflector, which has long been an issue with such light sources. A downside of these lamps however is their larger size and very specific cooling needs. The larger diameter makes the mechanics of designing a lamp holder and retaining system much more difficult. In particular many prior art products require significant disassembly of the luminaire in order to access and change a broken or exhausted lamp. The relatively short life time of these lamps, typically only a few hundred hours, makes lamp replacement a common and time-consuming task. This need for disassembly often means that there are many loose parts to deal with, as well as multiple fasteners and other small components.
Prior art products with these complex lamp change systems make it difficult, if not impossible, to change lamps while the luminaire is installed in the lighting rig. Instead the user is typically required to remove the luminaire from the installation and change the lamp at a workbench. This is time consuming and, in some cases such as large theatrical or concert events where the luminaire is installed high up above a stage, impossible to achieve in a timely manner.
Compounding this is the need for extensive cooling which has in the past required surrounding the lamp with cooling fans and air ducts. These fans and air ducts make access for lamp change even more difficult.
Still another problem with prior art systems for lamp change is that the removable components result in the replacement lamp not being accurately positioned in the exact same position as the failed lamp. Reliance on fasteners and screws typically requires that the user manually realign the new lamp after installation.
There is a need for an improved lamp replacement and change mechanism that simplifies the lamp change process for lamps with integral reflectors in automated luminaires while maintaining accurate positioning of the lamp.